


Let The Games Begin

by AsagiStilinski



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- Werewolves are still a thing, Coming back to life, Dark Magic, Dark Stiles, Deadly Games, Established Relationship, Familiar Derek Hale, Games, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Massage, Sterek Bingo, Warning: Kate Argent, Witch Stiles Stilinski, sbwitchfamiliar, sterekbingo2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 12:32:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14520636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Looking back on his life, Derek marvels at all of the differences that have occurred in the last several years, he lost his family, he gained a lover, he died, and he was brought back to life in order to be a familiar to some probably unstable witch with a creepy lust for games and eating soulsAlso, apparently, there's a new flavor of Ben & Jerry's out





	Let The Games Begin

**Author's Note:**

> This was mostly (though loosely) inspired by season zero of Yu-Gi-Oh, I never really watched it but I've heard about it and have seen probably a total of 30 minutes in clips, I'm a big fan of the original YGO:DM so
> 
> Anyway, I freaking love darkish!Stiles + partner!Derek and dark!Stiles seems like someone who would really enjoy games so season zero!Atem was a great base to go by, I hope you all enjoy!

"See? It's really simple, just fan out the cards like this... and.... is this your card?"

The sound of excited, squealing children filled the air, followed by soft, happy laughter

It was a joy to hear, but he couldn't help feeling somewhat unsettled, shifting in his seat as he glanced over his shoulder at the entertainer

Even though what was happening now was clearly light-hearted and happy, clearly a nice moment, he couldn't help feeling the gnawing sense that it wouldn't last long, that sooner rather than later, something would come and ruin it, just like it always did

The weight on the couch shifted as the man with the card tricks moved to carefully slide into the seat beside him, flicking a deck of cards out to show him and grinning from ear to ear as he fanned the cards around

"What's wrong, Partner? You aren't jealous are you?"

"Jealous? No," he snorted back, trying to atleast look like his focus was on the book in his lap

It really wasn't working

"Mm... no? Then what's got you looking so pensive? I know you can be a downer Derek but this seems odd even for you,"

Well, no sense in hiding it any longer he supposed

Exhaling slowly, he snapped his book shut and turned his head, his face barely inches from his partner's as the trickster flicked the cards back into a deck, crossing one leg smoothly over the other and leaning back to prop his head on his free hand

He looked too comfortable, too easy-going, too unprepared...

"Don't you feel that?" Derek asked quietly

"Something is wrong here... I think.. I think something bad is about to happen,"

Slowly, the other man nodded, a low hum rumbling in his throat as his foot tapped without rythem against the air

"Yeah.... it'll be coming any minute now I think,"

"Then why are you so relaxed?" Derek hissed in irritation

"No sense in tensing up before a game, I'll just make myself nervous that way,"

Derek wrinkled his nose, not equating "preparedness" with "nervousness", but... who was he to try to tell the other how to act?

There was hardly any sense in it at this point, his partner was going to do what he was going to do and Derek couldn't complain that much

After all, in the last several years, he had never let Derek down

The bell above the door to the inn's lobby rang, followed by the sound of screaming and scrambling to hide away from whoever had entered

They must be armed...

"You're up then, _Partner_ ,"

Grinning enthusiastically, the slightly smaller man jumped to his feet and shoved his deck of cards into his coat pocket, taking a step around the couch, only for Derek to reach out and catch his hand

"Stiles," he said seriously, staring up at the other's deep brown eyes

"Be carefull,"

"I know," Stiles promised with a purr, grinning almost seductively as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Derek's forehead

And, because Derek couldn't help himself, he carefully turned his position on the couch to peer over it and watch

After all, the games were about to begin, and Derek had never been able to resist the temptation of watching his partner play

"Everybody get down on the ground, hands in the air! You, behind the counter, empty the register!"

"Robbing an inn? That's pretty desperate," Stiles mused casually, smirking as he slowly approached the theif

There was nothing that was particularly noticeable about the robber, typical guy in a skii mask it seemed, pointing his gun towards the woman behind the counter at first, before quickly turning to aim at Stiles instead

"What did I just say!? Get on the ground and put your hands in the air!!"

Stiles was unimpressed, to put it mildly, but he still had that enticing air around him- calm and confident, easy-going and sure of himself

And still smirking

"I don't think so,"

"You wanna die then?! I'll shoot you freaking idiot!!!"

"Ok then, go ahead," Stiles challenged

This clearly nocked the theif off guard, it was easy to see by the way he flinched back and stared at Stiles as if _he_ had just been shot himself

"Fine!!" the robber finally shouted, his hands shaking as he wrapped a finger around the trigger

"Last chance punk! Get on the ground or I'm gonna shoot!!"

Stiles shrugged, as if listening to a boring radio broadcast, and simply stood still

And finally, it seemed, the robber decided to take him up on his offer, squeezing his finger around the trigger as a loud ***BANG!*** echoed around the small room

People were screaming, shouting, clearly terrified, but...

There Stiles stood, still smirking, and completely fine, a bullet caught between his index finger and thumb

That was enough to _truly_ shake the robber, his entire body starting to tremble as he stared at the man in front of him

"What... what the hell!?!"

Stiles only smirked further, before clenching the bullet in his fist and reducing it to gun powder, pouring it out onto the floor

"I'll give you one chance to get out of here, or else you'll see what _else_ I can do,"

The robber didn't even have to think about that decision, he just turned and raced out of the inn as quickly as he could, prompting Stiles to heave a disappointed sigh as he turned to Derek, looking thoroughly disappointed

_"No game"_ he mouthed, pouting like a child, before quickly changing his demeanor and turning towards the other people in the inn

"I suggest we call the police before he gets too far, don't you?"

The woman behind the desk nodded like a bobblehead, scrambling to get to the phone as everyone slowly started to emerge from their hiding places, each as shaken and confused as the last

"How... how did you do that?" came a quiet, nervous voice

Stiles turned to look at the little girl who had asked him, smiling fondly and bending down to her level before snapping his fingers, a flower emerging between them out of thin air

"Just a little magic," he promised, holding the flower out for her- wich she greatfully accepted

Derek snorted, picking up his book again and opening it to the last page he had been on

_Show off...._

 

~+~

 

The tug of the fabric against his skin was rougher than usual, and Derek blamed it on his sore muscles

He winced as he pulled his shirt off over his head, his back aching like he had just picked up a fifty pound weight and placed it on his shoulders

There was a slight throb in his chest and a crick in his shoulders and everything below the neck seemed to scream in protest with every movement

He wasn't pleased

"Derek?" Stiles asked softly, his eyes fixated on the man's back

"I'm fine Stiles, I don't-"

"Derek," he repeated, firmer this time, not a question- a demand

Swallowing tightly, he turned around to face the witch with mild frustration, but didn't argue any further, just undid his jeans and slipped them off, reluctantly moving to the bed and laying down on his stomach, resting his head on his arms and sighing as he felt the weight next to him shift

Stiles slid off of the bed only long enough to reach into the drawer of the nightstand and pull out a nicely scented bottle, popping the cap and pouring a stream of lotion into his palm before snapping the lid shut again and setting it aside

"You shouldn't let yourself get like this, I've told you atleast a hundred times,"

"And you shouldn't let yourself get drained to the point of needing herbs just to move," Derek challenged, his body tensing instinctively as Stiles' cold, lotion-covered hands landed on his shoulders

"I haven't done that in a wile," Stiles argued quietly, biting his lip as his hands started to press down into Derek's muscles

The larger man winced, his fingers tightening around the sheets in pain as his partner pressed his hands harder into his muscles

"You did that last week," Derek snorted back

Stiles only rolled his eyes, shrugging wordlessly as he applied more pressure

"Yeah, well, I'm supposed to take care of you, so-"

"And I'm supposed to protect you, so it sounds like we're at a stalemate,"

Apparently, Stiles couldn't argue with that, and for a few moments, time ticked by in silence, the only sounds in the room being that of the witch's slick hands massaging over Derek's back, and the older man's soft, occasional winces in pain

And then Stiles spoke again, wich was honestly something of a releif, it eased the tension in the room

"What's got you so quiet today anyhow? I mean, moreso than usual,"

"I.."

Derek paused, biting down on his lip

He should tell Stiles...

He needed his partner to be prepared, so he should tell him....

"I still feel like something is about to go wrong... that incident in the lobby earlier, I don't think that's what I've been sensing all day..."

Stiles let out a quiet, thoughtfull hum, his fingers pressing hard into the knots in the back of Derek's neck, prompting the other man to flinch, trying to keep himself quiet so as not to imply that he was in pain

"I know what you mean, something is definitely.... off,"

So Stiles felt it too?

Good.... then that meant that Derek wasn't going crazy

"What do we do?"

"Not sure how much we _can_ do at this moment, we don't know what's coming or when, there's really no way to just charge out and attack it head-on, so until we atleast know what we're dealing with, we wait,"

Typically, Derek wasn't an impatient person

But when it came to something like this... his skin was crawling, he could feel an itch in his veins, he could barely even sit still

He just wanted to know what to expect...

"Whatever it is, we'll get through it, you know that... don't you?"

Derek nodded slowly, biting his lip as he closed his eyes

"I know," he promised honestly

But there was still anxiety there

He could feel it boiling in his blood, stewing in his gut, he just hoped it was perfectly unfounded...

 

~+~

 

_Calling..._

_There was a calling..._

_It was muffled, like he was underwater, but he could still hear it, distantly, calling, shouting..._

_He gasped suddenly, loudly filling his lungs with air as he sat up, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest, his mind fuzzy and disoriented and aching_

_He felt his eyes finally starting to adjust, looking up slowly and blinking back tears as he stared at the stranger's face_

_He was beautifull, pale skin and chesnut hair, skin peppered with moles, lips plump and bow shaped, and his eyes..._

_His eyes were brown but .. but there was a darkness there, a blackness lurking behind his irises that had Derek's hands trembling_

_"You're ok now," the man promised softly, reaching out to very gently smooth his thumb out over Derek's jaw, cupping his face in what Derek guessed he was attempting to make a comforting motion_

_"What... what...?"_

_"I saved you, you're ok now," the stranger repeated quietly_

_Swallowing, Derek peered around him, his body shaking as he stared at the bodies around him- his _family's_ bodies... each more burned than the last_

_"No... no no!! You have to save them! Why didn't you save them!?"_

_"There isn't .. there isn't enough of them left to save-"_

_"There has to be! You brought me back to life so you have to be able to bring them back too!"_

_"I'm sorry," the stranger breathed sincerely, his eyes blurred with tears as he watched the wolf begin to sob, forcing himself to his feet as he charged towards one of the bodies- his sister... his baby sister..._

_"Cora!!!!"_

_"Stop!! Stop, Wolf, stop!" the stranger shouted, wrapping his arms around Derek tightly and holding him back, forcing him to stay in place_

_"You have to save her! You have to save them!!!"_

_"I can't! I CAN'T!! There isn't enough left to save, they're too far gone!"_

_"NO!" Derek screamed, struggling, fighting, trying his hardest to force himself away, but it was no use, the stranger was strong and Derek was tired, and he ultimately collapsed to the ground, listless and exhausted and tearfull, refusing to look the other man in the eyes, even as he spoke_

_"Why... why did ... why did you save me if you couldn't.... couldn't save them too?" he breathed_

_"I'm sorry," the stranger repeated- again_

_"I'm sorry... I know it was cruel of me but ... I need you, I had to have you, I'm sorry,"_

_Swallowing tightly, Derek finally averted his eyes away from his sister's body, staring up at the stranger with confusion and reluctance, another tear making it's way down his cheek as he did_

_"Need me for what?"_

_The man smiled sadly, but with an air of wickedness beneath his eyes_

_"I need you .. to devour souls for me,"_

 

~+~

 

Derek exhaled slowly as he stood in front of the mirror, anxiety still tempered at the edge of his soul, biting down on his tongue to keep himself from reacting to the fear bubbling in his stomach

He was waiting for the shower to heat up, glad that Stiles had already showered earlier that morning so that he could use this time to pack their bags, thus leaving Derek with some time to himself for once

Not that Derek didn't love to shower with his partner- he did, but... he needed the time alone now, to think, to reflect...

He could feel the steam starting to rise around him, his fingertips reaching up to trace the ankh tattoo pressed into the side of his neck, it was still such a foreign sight on his body...

Swallowing tightly, he forced himself away from the mirror and into the shower, letting the hot water run across his body and closing his eyes, reflecting back to the first day

The day he and Stiles had met, and how he got the mark that now marred his neck

 

~+~

 

_"Devour souls?" Derek breathed, a look of utter devastation crossing his face_

_Devastation and fear and God only knew what else..._

_"What the hell are you talking about!?"_

_"I'm sorry, let me be clearer, you won't be devouring the ENTIRE soul, just the life energy within it- specifically, the dark energy, once you've done this, the power you attain will be transferred to me, you are my familiar now, that is the price you'll pay for your life being restored,"_

_"Price.... then take my life back! I don't want it anymore anyway!! I never agreed to this!"_

_"I know you didn't, and I'm sorry.... but I need a familiar, and you're the strongest one I could find,"_

_"I don't understand... I don't understand any of this," Derek breathed_

_His throat felt raw and tight, his chest burning and his stomach churning, the reality of his situation settling in his gut like a sickening flame_

_This couldn't be.... this couldn't be his life..._

_"I know, and I'm so sorry... but .. I need you, Wolf, I need your power, I need you to help me with my quest,"_

_"What quest?" Derek sneered_

_The stranger stood, looking down sadly at the destruction and death that laid before his feet, gesturing to it clearly as he met Derek's eyes again_

_"My quest to ensure this never happens again,"_

_Derek was quiet for a moment, letting that sink in, thinking it through, thinking about hunting down the person who had done this to him, to his family, to other wolves, other PEOPLE he didn't even know..._

_And suddenly the fire in his belly wasn't one of sickness anymore, it was one of determination, his tears running dry as he forced himself shakily to his feet, turning himself reluctantly towards his new-found partner_

_"Why didn't you tell me that to begin with?"_

 

~+~

 

"Derek, you want anything?"

The wolf blinked, looking up from where he had been staring out the car window and turning his attention towards the driver instead

"Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea, it's still a long way to Beacon Hills,"

They had just pulled up outside of a small gas station and at the very least Derek figured he could use some soda or something...

Stiles gave a small nod in response and parked the car, turning off the engine and sliding out of his side

Derek followed right behind him, his mind only really half on what he was doing as he walked into the store with Stiles

Something still felt so off... so incredibly off....

He felt like something big was coming, maybe it would be difficult, maybe not, but it would certainly be life-changing

He just... wished he knew what it was...

But, knowing that he had no way of doing that, he followed Stiles throughout the mini mart, getting themselves a couple of slushies, Stiles grabbing a few snacks as well, and paying before heading out

They didn't quite get far before the sound of a scream alerted them both to trouble in the alley just behind them, causing them to pause in their walking and turn towards it

Stiles gave Derek a pointed look, followed by a small nod, before racing off towards the scream, giving Derek the chance to unlock the car and get in, tossing his shirt off as quickly as he could

Stiles, in the mean time, raced towards the sound of the scream, a look of slight panic on his face as he arrived upon the scene

There was a man standing in the middle of the alley, cornering a woman up against the wall and sneering at her

"I told you, you're coming back with me!"

"Stop!! Rob stop!" she screamed, aiming a punch at him, but the man- Rob, apparently- caught her fist easily, looking as if he was absolutely _boiling_ with anger as he slammed her back against the wall harder

"I SAID-"

" _Hey_ ," Stiles said slowly, successfully grabbing the man's attention

"I always learned not to throw ladies around, what... did your mom just forget to teach you that little lesson?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" the man sneered, for a time backing away from the woman

Stiles shrugged calmly, a smirk on his face as he approached the two of them

"I'm talking about your total lack of respect for women, a terrible quality I might add,"

"Back off kid! This is none of your business!" the stranger growled with irritation

"I think it is my business," Stiles shrugged easily, still smirking as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet

"I have an idea, let's play a game,"

"A game?" the stranger snorted

"Yeah.... I'll wager this, if I win you leave the girl alone and swear that you'll never harm another soul, but if you win, not only will I leave you to your business, you'll also get this," he offered, pulling a small pile of cash out of his wallet

The man looked mildly confused for a moment, before grimacing at the witch

"What are you trying to play at? What's the point in this?!"

"Only that I want to help the nice lady, and I know that if I do something stupid like charge at you or call the police it'll just be worse for her in the long haul, my only hope of truly keeping you away from her is to humiliate you with defeat so badly that you never want to show your face to her again,"

"Humiliate!?" the stranger sneered, clearly having been incredibly offended by the very idea

"Alright... name the game and whatever it is, I'll beat you black and blue!" he shouted confidently

Stiles grinned, his eyes sparking with excitement at the challenge

"If you say so," he chuckled, making his way towards the dumpster on the other side of the wall and leaning up on the tips of his toes

"What are you doing?" the stranger asked with an annoyed frown

"Getting what we need for the game," Stiles replied, reaching in and picking up two empty soda cans, nodding towards the parkinglot

Curiously, the stranger followed him, his victim staying reluctantly behind her abuser as the three walked towards the front of the gas station

"The game will be simple," Stiles said slowly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his Swiss army nife before flicking the blade and stabbing it through the top of the can, slicing an even ring into the aluminum to make a bigger opening and setting it down, before doing the same to the other

"We each fill one can with rocks, it can be any kind of rock you want, any size, any shape, we fill it to the top and whoever has the most rocks at the end of the game wins, the only rule is that you can't fill over the top of the can," he explained, flicking his blade back into the compartment it came in and setting it back in his pocket

"Is that really all?" the stranger scoffed with disbeleif

"That's really all, just.. one more thing, if you cheat- break the rule or the wager- you'll have to pay the penalty,"

"Penalty? Pft, whatever you say," the stranger said with a snort

Stiles' smirk widened, his eyes bright as he glanced over his shoulder and watched as an enormous, black wolf started to stalk away from the jeep, moving to sit loyally by the witch's feet

"Would you like to go first?"

"Sure," the man snorted, taking a few steps forward and starting to gather a small handfull of rocks, layering them carefully into the can and filling it until it reached the rim

"There, I got nine of them in, beat that," he challenged

"Nine is pretty good," Stiles agreed with a nod, picking up his own can and taking a few steps towards the gravel road leading up to the pavement

Quietly, he scooped up a handfull of gravel, pouring it into the can before bending down for another

"Hey! What are you doing!? You said only rocks, you can't fill it up with gravel and dirt!"

"Oh I'm filtering out the dirt," Stiles said casually, smirking over his shoulder at the stranger before offering out a can full of gravel

"But gravel IS rocks, I said any kind of rock, any shape and size, and I chose gravel, so... we can count them up if you want, but I'm pretty sure I won,"

The stranger seemed completely and utterly shocked by that, his mouth falling open breifly before a look of anger engulfed his face

"You.... that's a stupid loophole!"

"It isn't a loophole if it's right there in the rules," Stiles shrugged back easily, still smirking

"SCREW YOU!" the stranger shouted, suddenly spinning on his heel and snatching the arm of the woman behind him, much to her distraught shreik

"Screw you, your rules, and your game!" he sneered, jerking the woman towards the other side of the parkinglot, despite her insistent protests

Stiles heaved a quiet sigh, one that most people would consider to be bored.... if it hadn't been for the downright gleefull smirk on his face

"Derek," he said slowly, raising his hand and pointing to the man across from him

" _Devour_ ,"

Without a single beat of hesitation, the wolf at his feet sprinted forward and pounced on the man, teeth ripping immediately into his throat as he nocked the stranger to the ground and began to tear him to shreds

"Hn," Stiles hummed, leaning against the wall of the gas station wile he watched

"I knew he wouldn't be able to obey the rules for long,"

 

~+~

 

_"Why don't you already have a familiar?"_

_Stiles looked up from the map he had been reading, glancing over to the hood of the jeep where Derek was currently laying, staring up at the dusk sky without bothering to glance Stiles' way_

_"I mean, according to you, in order to perform magic as powerfull as what you did to revive me, you have to have consumed the power of another- their energy, the dark part of their soul, so how is it that you already had that power without a familiar to consume that energy for you?"_

_"Ah... right now I'm using a device that a freind of mine lent to me, but I need to return it to him soon,"_

_"Soon as in-?"_

_"Soon as in yesterday,"_

_That explained alot he supposed..._

_"And so you saw me as an opportunity to acquire a much needed tool, a means to an end," Derek concluded with a quiet sigh_

_He didn't ... well, he didn't know if he really **blamed** Stiles or not_

_On the one hand, Derek completely saw where he was coming from, he needed this power- clearly- and the way he was going about it was one that the wolf could actually approve of, for the most part atleast, he was glad that they were getting rid of the scum of the earth, but..._

_But there was an emotional part of him that still ached from it all and almost resented Stiles for bringing him back and he wasn't sure how to process that_

_"That isn't it at all," Stiles frowned, moving away from the map and crawling up to sit on the hood of the car next to his companion_

_"I saw you, and I wanted you to live, and when it came to reviving you.... turning you into my familiar was a golden opportunity that I couldn't waste, but it's like... walking up on a basket of golden eggs and then finding a silver one right next to it, you're going to take the golden eggs no matter what but if you **can** get the silver one too then it would be a waste not to, does that make sense?"_

_"I thought it was a **golden** opportunity to turn me into your familiar, not a **silver** one," Derek challenged tauntingly_

_Stiles rolled his eyes, playfully pushing the werewolf and leaning back against the windsheild of the car, staring up at the sky in silence as Derek carefully rubbed his neck, frowning slightly at the freshly raised loops of skin there_

_He had woken with that tattoo yesterday, after he came back to life, he hadn't asked Stiles what it was for or how it got there, there were too many other, far more pressing matters at hand then, but now..._

_"So... what's with the ankh on my neck?"_

_"Ah.... I brought you back to life, the magic required to do that has to mark you in some way, I thought a tattoo would be alot nicer than a giant scar, and on top of that, I needed to mark you as my familiar too, so .."_

_"Another golden and silver egged opportunity?"_

_"Basically yeah,"_

_Derek understood that he supposed, in terms of making him a familiar as an afterthought_

_What he had trouble grasping was what had drawn Stiles to him to begin with, if not the need for a familiar...._

_"Why an **ankh** specifically though?" he asked a beat later, his mind still mostly focused on the more pressing question of why Stiles had ever been interested in him in the first place, but choosing not to press that- for now, atleast_

_"It's a symbol of life and immortality, I thought it was appropriate since I literally returned your life to you, and .. it comes from my freind, the one who leant me the trinket I've been using until now,"_

_Derek hummed softly, making a note in the back of his mind to meet this freind of Stiles' at some point...._

_He startled slightly when he felt the witch curl their fingers together, silent and gentle, the other's brown doe eyes still staring up at the sky_

_"For the record... I'm sorry for doing this to you Derek, it isn't... this isn't something that you should have to suffer with, being alive- back from the dead- without your family.... it was never my intention to hurt you like that,"_

_"I know," Derek promised_

_And he did, he knew that_

_Stiles was trying to do the right thing, as much as he could, even though Derek still didn't quite understand his motivations just yet_

_He closed his eyes, inhaling as the breeze swept over him_

_He had time to learn and time to forgive, he and Stiles wouldn't exactly be parting any time soon, after all_

 

~+~

 

"Derek? Wake up babe.. wake up, we're home,"

The wolf stirred in his seat, nose wrinkling slightly and wincing at the kinks in his back springing and creaking as he shifted in the uncomfortable passenger side seat of the car, trying to get himself re-accustomed to being awake and alert

"Have a nice nap?" Stiles asked with an amused smirk

"I guess so," Derek shrugged back non-committally, staring out the window breifly before unbuckling his seatbelt and making a move for the door, only for Derek to reach out and stop him suddenly, hand wrapping gently around his arm and causing Derek to raise his eyebrows in confusion

"Hey.... that stuff from yesterday... still bothering you?"

Derek swallowed tightly, giving a slow nod and reluctantly letting go of the door handle, settling himself back in his seat and staring listlessly down at the floorboards

"Derek... it's going to be fine, why is this under your skin so badly?"

"I just have this ... increasingly gnawing feeling... that's all,"

Stiles, by all appearances, seemed to understand

He reached out and gently squeezed his partner's thigh, offering him a reassuring smile as he leaned in for a hug

"I have it too, but whatever it is, we'll survive it together, I mean hey... the apocalypse hasn't happened yet right?"

"Always a first time for everything," Derek said blandly

Stiles snorted, shaking his head and drawing back, his fingers lingering on the back of the werewolf's neck for a moment, tracing the tiny, barely visible hairs there

"Aww, what a lovely little pessimist I have," he teased

Derek felt his lips twitch up into a slight grin, feeling a wave of calm pass over him- it wasn't much, but... it was something

And it did what it was intended to do in the first place- it took the edge off

"Somebody's gotta be," Derek shrugged back, just as teasingly as before

Stiles snorted and rolled his eyes, shoving the other's arm playfully before leaning closer and pressing his lips against Derek's cheek, letting the kiss linger for a few seconds, just a matter of moments, before leaning up to nip his ear

"Go upstairs and unpack, I'll be there in a few minutes," he insisted, the hand on Derek's thigh squeezing just barely, his teeth making an impression on the wolf's ear, leaving Derek groaning and wanting more

Because ofcourse he did

Derek _always_ wanted more, ever since the start....

 

~+~

 

_A gasp fell out of his mouth as Derek's head hit the pillows, his dark hair like a cloud against the white pillows of the motel bed_

_The sheets felt like a slow burn over his skin as he arched his back and dug his heel into the mattress_

_He felt hot and pleasantly out of his mind and breathless and ... and he didn't even know if there were any words to describe this sort of pleasure_

_His fingers rooted down in Stiles' hair, nails pricking at the witch's scalp, a keen tearing out of his throat at the sensation of Stiles' teeth biting into the ankh tattoo on his neck_

_It felt like he was having an out of body experience wile being all too grounded in his body at once, his fingers curling his nails digging in deeper and pulling a moan from his partner's throat_

_There were no words to describe this sensation, this pleasure, the way his body writhed against the sheets and his nails dug into his lover's flesh, it took his breath away_

_The mouth on his neck moved up to cover over his instead, Stiles tasted like coca cola and heat, he felt like a heat wave and a thunderstorm moving over the wolf's body, like Derek was caught in a hurricane and each sensation was another twist in the air_

_It was beautifull and disorienting and amazing and he loved ever last second of it_

_"Stiles..." he gasped out, his eyes fluttering open for a breif moment before connecting with the witch's, catching on what he had expected to be the sight of honey-copper brown and landing instead of... black..._

_Just ... pure black, pupilless, no whites, no irises, just... black_

_And Derek was..... stunned into silence for a moment_

_At first he didn't know how to not be completely stunned, but the eyes...._

_They were still Stiles'_

_And that always outweighed everything else_

_Unfortunately, his pause had taken to be too long, and Stiles knew that something was wrong_

_Wuthout a word he suddenly rolled off of where he and Derek had been laying seconds earlier, running towards the mirror on the bathroom wall of the room_

_"Stiles?" he breathed, sitting up and looking around for his partner, biting down anxiously on his lip_

_He decided ultimately not to wait on a response, to slide out of bed, not even bothering with a sheet around his waist, and making his way towards Stiles_

_The witch was standing in front of the mirror, staring at the blackness of his eyes, his entire being seeming to have been shaken down to the core_

_Derek didn't really understand it, to be honest, he didn't really understand most thing about his partner's- **lover's** \- power, only that it ... **was**_

_He didn't care what it was from, or what it implied_

_All he cared about was wrapping his arms around Stiles, hugging him tightly and pressing kisses against his neck, his hips swaying as he gently started to guide Stiles back to bed, his hands roaming up and down and all against the body he had come to adore so much- the body of the man he had started to fall in love with- until he was crashing against the sheets again_

_Stiles' eyes were still black, and his own ankh tattoo seemed to be more distinct and noticeable than ever, but Derek didn't care_

_All he cared about was Stiles, in this moment, and as the two of them looped their fingers together and joined their lips once more, Derek reflected on the fact that, somehow, even now as Stiles was lighting his soul aflame, he somehow still wanted **more**...._

 

~+~

 

Reflecting back to that first night he and Stiles had spent... _together_ , had, in some ways, put a smile back on his face, and helped to ease the tension in his bones

He had Stiles and at the end of the day that was what mattered most

They could get through this, he was more confident than ever now

The phone was ringing distantly, but Derek didn't bother with trying to answer it, he knew the only person calling had to be for Stiles

Sure enough, a few moments later, he could hear Stiles pick up the phone downstairs, and though he didn't usually listen in on his partner's conversations, it was hard to miss the loud _**"DAD!?"**_ that roared from his lover's voice

Panic suddenly swept through the wolf, prompting him to drop the clothes he had been unpacking and instead race down the stairs, his heart pounding anxiously in his chest, his hands shaking as he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, just in time to catch the pale, dread-filled look on his lover's face

"Stiles...?" he asked softly, his jaw tightening as he approached, just as the witch looked up from the phone in his hands

"She has my dad," he said slowly, his jaw tense as he stared at his familiar

Derek had a feeling he knew exactly who "she" was....

" _Kate Argent_ has my dad,"

 

~+~

 

_"You fell so easily, didn't you Derek?"_

_The wolf was shaking, his eyes watering, body trembling as he slowly backed up against the burned remains of his living room wall_

_His house... his family.... everything he ever had, everything he ever loved, was gone- completely and entirely gone...._

_The tears were still fresh on his face as he stared up at the woman in front of him, the sickening grin on her face as she walked towards him, her gun drawn and an all too happy air around her body_

_"Why?" he breathed, confusion staining his features_

_And he knew, logically, he knew_

_She was a hunter, this was what hunters did, this was in their chemical make up, it was who they were and yet.... yet he asked anyway_

_Because he had such a hard time believing it, such a hard time understanding how someone who had seemed so kind to him at one time- someone who he had shared his bed with and given his heart to- could do something so.... so **evil**...._

_"Because Derek," she said with a laugh in her voice, still smirking with amusement as she crouched down to his level and pressed the barrel of her gun against his forehead_

_"You're a monster, and an easy target,"_

_***BANG*** _

 

~+~

 

"Derek.... you going to be ok?"

The wolf looked up from the car dashboard, nodding slowly and confidently as they pulled up to the parkinglot of the sheriff's station

This was apparently where Kate had told Stiles to meet her, where she must be holding his father captive... wich made sense, in a way, given that he was the sheriff...

"I'll be fine, and when we get rid of Kate... I'll be the best I've been in years," he said seriously, earning a warm, confident smile from his partner

"Yeah... I believe that you know," Stiles mused with a slight, teasing smirk

"We'll both be better off when she's gone, won't we big guy?"

"You know we will," Derek smirked back

He had felt nervous all this time, and to a large degree, he still felt nervous

The thought of seeing the monster who had slaughtered his family, burned down his home, and murdered him, once again was... terrifying....

And the idea of Stiles possibly losing a game to her was even moreso...

But he was also confident, he was sure, Stiles would win, and he would destroy Kate so that she could never hurt anyone ever again

After all, no one defeated the King Of Games....

"Ready?" Stiles asked quietly

Derek nodded once, but hesitated for a moment, grabbing his arm and leaning in closer, pressing a long, passionate kiss against his lover's lips

Stiles blinked in slight surprise, not used to such spontaneous passion from his partner, but definitely very well welcoming it

"I'm ready," Derek breathed a moment later, only parting when he ran out of breath, when he needed to inhale again, but still keeping himself close enough that Stiles could feel the heat of the wolf's breath on his lips

"Good," he promised quietly, letting his hand move to the back of Derek's neck and giving it a slight, reassuring squeeze

"Then let's go,"

Derek nodded slowly, watching as the witch slid out of the car and waited on Derek to follow

His stomach was in twists as he walked, his chest tight and his skin broken out in a cold sweat, but he had to keep reminding himself that this was almost over

The hell that had been haunting his mind for the last three years would be ending soon, he just had to remember that, he had to keep it at the forefront of his mind as he marched into the sheriff's station behind his partner

Sure enough, it only took them walking a few steps into the station before they caught sight of her, the monster with blonde hair that sat so confidently and easily on the sheriff's desk, smirking at them as if she held the secrets to the universe

But she didn't

She knew _nothing_

Of that much, Derek was completely sure

"Well well, it looks like my source was right when he said that you and Derek were traveling together, I have to admit, I thought he was lying," Kate said with a cocky smirk

Stiles wasn't shaken, or if he was, he didn't look it

He walked steadily towards the sheriff's office where the woman was sitting, weaving his way through the empty sheriff's station with Derek loyally following by his side, keeping his mouth shut tightly so as not to give Kate any ammunition to play with

"I wonder what brought this on..." she hummed

"That's not really any of your business now is it?" Stiles snipped testily, an annoyed look on his face as he finally came to stand directly in front of the hunter

"Where's my father Kate?" he bit out slowly, his words dripping like acid from his voice as he glared at the blonde

"Oh Stiles... I'm so disappointed, I thought you would want to play a game,"

"When it comes to my father's safety? Not interested,"

"Well THAT certainly is a shame... because I want to play, and I'm not telling you anything until I do,"

Stiles' nose twitched, but Derek knew that he really wasn't surprised- neither of them were

This was Kate Argent, if Stiles was the _king_ of games, then Kate was surely and unfortunately the queen

"Now here's how it's going to go Stiles... my game, my rules, and if you ever want to see your father again, I suggest you play nicely,"

"Fine, but don't you think that's a little tilted in your favor? Your game, your rules... then it's my wager, sounds better that way don't you think?"

"Sure, but I already know what your wager will be, let me guess.... if you win then I leave without hurting anyone and you ~never want to see my face in this town again~, am I close?"

"Close," Stiles confirmed with a slow nod

"But not quite,"

That, surprisingly, seemed to catch Kate somewhat off guard, a surprised look flittering over her face for a breif moment before the sickening smirk returned once again

"Oh? Then enlighten me, if you win, what do you want?"

Stiles began to smirk right back at her, his eyes glinting black for the breifest moment as a truly twisted, maddening grin split across his face

"Your soul,"

That seemed to actually shake Kate completely, her expression faltering for much longer than just a moment as she flinched back and stared up at the witch

"My... soul?"

"I know, surprising that you have one right? And yet..."

"I... I thought you were a witch, not a demon, what the hell would you want with my soul!?"

"Well, you're mostly right," Stiles shrugged easily

"I am a witch... but I was possessed by a demon a few years ago, I mean I flushed him out eventually but... he left me with some very.... _interesting_ parting gifts, now as far as what I want to do with your soul, what does it really matter? Once it's no longer your's it isn't your concern, so if you don't think that you can win..."

"I WILL win," Kate insisted in a hiss, wich seemed to play right into Stiles' hands, his entire face lit up with confidence and amusement

"Then it's settled, if I win you hurt _no one_... and you give me your soul,"

"And if I win, I kill everyone in this building," Kate said with a smirk almost as arrogant as Stiles' own

"Sounds fair, now ... name your game,"

"It'll be a simple one," Kate said with a small shrug, leaning back a little on her hands as Stiles took a hesitant step closer

"I'll ask you a riddle, one for each deputy that was here when I arrived, plus one for your father, that'll make a baker's dozen, for each one you answer correctly, one of the deputies lives, and for each you answer incorrectly.... they die, if even ONE deputy dies- or your father-, then you lose the game, easy right? And as a sign of good faith, I've got all of the answers written down right here, so you can see for yourself that I'm being honest when I say that you've gotten one wrong,"

Stiles frowned, nose wrinkling slightly as he pulled up a chair and slowly sat down

"Yeah.... sounds about fair," he agreed slowly

Derek was tense as he watched, leaning against the door to the office, on guard and practically waiting for Kate to do something underhanded so he would have the chance to jump at her and end this "game" once and for all

"Just one thing though Kate, you know that if you cheat in any way, or don't hold up on your end of the wager... that you lose automatically correct?"

Kate shrugged easily as she stared down at Stiles, her eyes dancing with amusement the entire time

"I had figured as much, now..... are you ready to begin?"

Stiles swallowed tightly, giving a single, tight nod

"Game start,"

 

~+~

 

_"It's a simple game, just choose wich cup you think the rock is under and you win,"_

_The hunter gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed and nose wrinkled as he slowly pointed towards the cup he was predicting_

_"I choose the one in the middle then,"_

_There was a glint in Stiles' eyes, a quick flash of black that was slowly becoming quite familiar, as he he lifted up the cup to reveal that there was nothing there_

_"You lose," he purred_

_"What!? NO!!" the hunter screamed, reaching for his gun_

_"Derek!" Stiles called with an overly excited smirk, watching in delight as the wolf bolted from Stiles' side and latched his jaws around the man's arm, ripping a scream from his throat as he tore him apart_

_He had grown quite immune to the sensation of ripping someone to peices over the last few months, and in fact, he had even started to sort of enjoy it_

_There was something about the knowledge that he was removing someone from the world who was out to hurt innocent people- who may very well be the next Kate Argent, planning to burn down some other innocent family, or even who was simply cornering a young woman in an ally or abusing a small child- that thrilled him_

_It made him feel... **good** to remove them from the world, and he supposed that was probably why Stiles always looked so delighted by it_

_Derek was getting used to it now, yes, after three months..._

_But Stiles had been doing this for close to a year now and was far past just "used to it"_

_He wondered, vaguely, if he would ever enjoy it as much...._

_"Mmm, not much darkness in this one it looks like, the power boost will be pretty small," Stiles hummed as he slid out of his chair and walked slowly towards Derek, gently placing a hand on his head and scratching behind his ears_

_His eyes were swallowed by blackness, a slight, humming sort of vibration pulsed through his body as he absorbed the darkness that Derek had just ripped from the hunter_

_He had gotten used to that, over the last few months, as well_

_"Thanks," he said with a hum, gently patting the wolf on the head before turning back to the table in front of him and grabbing the drink he had set down, crashing back into his chair as the wolf trotted away to shift back into his human form_

_"It was under the left one, by the way, just so you know,"_

_"I don't understand how a guessing game is very fair," Derek mused as he snatched his clothes from the bar where he had put them earlier_

_They had both been lucky that they had managed to find a bar that was closed at eleven o'clock at night, apparently the leaky roof that was being repaired had atleast benefited **someone**_

_"He's a gambler Derek, he's the one who took the bet, not me," Stiles shrugged back_

_Derek didn't argue, the witch obviously knew what he was doing, given that he hadn't lost a single game since they met, but ...._

_Derek still worried_

_And more than that, he **wondered**_

_"Why do you use games anyway?" he asked curiously, zipping up his jeans and making sure that they were properly in place before sliding his shirt on_

_"I mean, you can take the soul of anyone you want, any time you want, right? So why bother risking a loss by choosing to play a game?"_

_"Because it's more fun that way, and it's easier to trap them, if they're running around trying to fight me it's much harder to get to them, but if they play a game then they're right within my reach the entire time," Stiles answered with a shrug, taking a sip of his drink and leaning back in his chair_

_"That's one way to answer it, but what's the real reason?" Derek asked with a small frown, finally stepping out from behind the bar and making his way towards his partner_

_"You're good at this," Stiles chuckled softly, inhaling and closing his eyes_

_"Honestly.....? I couldn't always take any soul any time I wanted, not at first," he explained_

_"Originally, before we met, the only way I could get a soul was with the trinket my freind lent me,"_

_"I remember, the day after we met you ran off for several hours to return that thing and told me not to come looking for you, not that I cared about you back then but..."_

_That wasn't entirely true, ofcourse Derek had cared, but he wasn't prepared to admit that to Stiles out loud, especially not right now, when he was still only just getting used to liking his partner at all..._

_"Yeah, well, the trinket he gave me to use required you to play a game in order to absorb a soul, so,"_

_Stiles shrugged, seemingly unbothered as Derek moved to sit down in the chair across from him_

_"And you never stopped, even after returning this so-called trinket... because it was fun?"_

_"Basically," Stiles shrugged back_

_Derek didn't believe that_

_He knew Stiles well enough by now to feel certain that that wasn't the only answer_

_Sure, that might be **part** of it, and in fact he didn't doubt that it was, Stiles had a cruel streak, a taste for gambling, and a need to have fun with things every now and then, soul-games like these were practically a lethal combination of a good time for him, but.._

_He didn't believe for one second that he would risk these monsters getting away for a reason so very petty, that just wasn't like him_

_"And what's the rest of the reason?"_

_Stiles paused, glass pressed to his lips as he stared at Derek with a look mixed between concerned and downcast with just a hint of irritation in it_

_"There isn't one," he answered smoothly, finishing his drink before standing up and grabbing his jacket_

_"You ready to go?"_

_Derek didn't believe him then, and even to this day, he still didn't believe him_

_There was more to it than that, but perhaps...._

_Perhaps it just wasn't Derek's place to dig, not yet, not now, not until the situation was appropriate_

_He would ask again some day, but not today, it seemed_

_Not today_

 

~+~

 

"What gets bigger the more you take away?"

"A hole,"

"What gets wetter the more it dries?"

"A towel,"

"When is a door not a door?"

"When it's ajar, did you get these off of the back of popsicle wrappers? Because I'm _severely_ unimpressed,"

Kate, clearly, was not happy with how quickly and easily Stiles was answering these riddles, and clearly even less happy with Stiles mocking her

She clenched her teeth, her eyes practically seering into the man in front of her as he leaned back almost boredly in his chair

Derek was relieved that Stiles was getting through this so easily- not that it was any surprise, riddles were always Stiles' game- but he was still nervous, he knew not to get his hopes up too early

They still had a few more riddles to go....

"Though I live beneath a roof, I never seem to dry, if only you will hold me, I will not lie, what am I?"

Stiles paused for a few moments, his fingers twitching as he racked his brain for the answer

For a second, Derek held his breath, but then Stiles smirked again and he was able to exhale

"Your tongue," Stiles grinned back

"What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and grey when you throw it away?"

"Charcoal,"

"Everyone has it but no one can lose it, what is it?"

"A shadow,"

Kate's lips ticked into a menacing sneer

She only had one left....

Derek was starting to feel a little bit of hope, but the look on her face....

That look on her face was incredibly concerning, it was causing his stomach to churn, she had something up her sleeve, he just didn't know what it was

"What creeps on the floors and crawls on the pillars?"

_A snake_

The answer seemed obvious, and that was just the problem

It was far too obvious for Kate to be smirking the way she was

Up until now most of the riddles had been close to childish, and that... that wasn't Kate's style

But luring Stiles into a false sense of security so that she could strike him down at the last minute because of a stupid mistake?

That was _definitely_ her style...

"A sn-"

"Wait Stiles!" Derek shouted, drawing the witch's attention to the other man, confusion written across his face as he stared at Derek over his shoulder

"Derek? What's-"

"She's trying to trick you Stiles, she's trying to lure you into making an easy mistake at the last minute so you'll lose the entire game!"

Judging by the way Kate's facial expression flickered, Derek had hit the nail on the head with that one

"Is that so?" Stiles asked with a mildly annoyed look on his face

"Are you really going to believe him about this Stiles? You're the King Of Games aren't you? And Derek knows... how much, about riddles?"

The very fact that Kate was trying to dissuade him from listening to Derek confirmed for him that the obvious answer wasn't the correct answer

It had to be harder than that, more complicated than that, it _had_ to....

"Probably not alot, but he knows one hell of alot about _you_ , and if he says that you're up to something, then I trust him,"

Kate sneered, wich only served for him to believe Derek even more

The problem now was going to be guessing the right answer

If it wasn't the obvious answer then what was it?

The problem with riddles was that there were- potentially- hundreds of answers that could apply to a riddle as the one that the asker had in mind

There was a layer of frustration in trying to figure out wich of those hundreds of answers was the _correct_ one when it wasn't the most obvious...

He closed his eyes for a few moments, nose wrinkling slightly

The answers to the previous riddles didn't seem to add up to any kind of answer key...

_Ajar, your tongue, charcoal, your shadow....._

Stiles' eyes flew open suddenly, a smirk crossing his face as he stared at the hunter across from him

"A shadow,"

The look on her face flashed shock and irritation and panic, but then smoothed down into her usual confident smirk again, the arrogance practically pouring out of her every cell

"I'm so sorry... but you never should have trusted that familiar of your's," she said with a smirk

Stiles felt shock flood his body, his eyes widening, panic and confusion and fear forming in the pit of his stomach as she reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a small stack of envelopes, handing them over to him to double-check

"You should have said snake," she smirked

Surely enough, when he opened the first envelope, there was the riddle, as plain as day, along with it's answer:

_What creeps on floors and climbs up pillars? **A snake**_

He lost....

He.. he couldn't believe that he had lost...

"I'm sorry Stiles," Kate smirked wickedly, picking up the gun that she had laying beside her on the desk and flicking the safety off

"I told you a long time ago, you shouldn't challenge the queen of games, she's the most valuable peice on the chess board,"

Derek snarled, rushing forward suddenly and yanking the drawer to the desk open

"Hey!! What are you-!?"

There it was, what he had been looking for....

_He knew it_....

"Stiles, she cheated!!"

"What?" Stiles frowned in confusion, watching as Derek emerged with another envelope...

One that clearly wasn't in the stack Stiles was now holding in his lap....

Kate snarled, pulling the trigger on the gun, but Stiles snapped his fingers, easily stopping the bullet as Derek handed him the envelope

When he tore it open, surely enough, there was the same riddle... but with a different answer

_His_ answer

_What creeps on the floor and climbs on the pillars? **A shadow**_

"So.... you DID cheat..." Stiles said slowly, his eyes narrowing as he slowly stood up from the chair, anger lacing his vision

"It doesn't matter, you'll never find your father or the other deputies in time anyway,"

"In time? What the hell do you mean?" Stiles frowned

"I mean there's a literal bomb waiting to go off, good luck finding it before it does," she said with a dark, evil cackle

Stiles' fingers twitched, a snarl leaving his throat as he snapped his fingers again, the bullet that he had stopped suddenly melting down into gun powder

"Derek.... _devour_ ,"

Derek had never been happier to hear those words, his eyes sinking gold, his nails and teeth turning into fangs and claws, the shift slowly starting to take over him

"You should have known Kate," he said with a deep rasp

"The king always wins the game,"

He understood, the moment he pounced forward and tore Kate's throat out, why Stiles enjoyed these games as much as he did

 

~+~

 

"I've never had a power boost quite like that.... the amount of darkness in her soul was ... _unbelievable_..."

Derek couldn't help the slight, satisfied smirk on his face as they drove, leaning back in his seat and staring over at his lover with pride

Stiles was practically _glowing_

He looked even more powerfull than usual, and that.... that was hard to do

"Do you think you'll be able to find out where your dad and the deputies are before the bomb goes off?" he asked worriedly, having to be the realist, even when all he wanted to do was glow with pride over his partner

"I think so," Stiles hummed back, his eyes slipping down towards a small notepad they kept in one of the cup holders and smirking as words started to scribble themselves down on the papper- the location of the hostages, apparently....

"And you think you'll be able to defuse the bomb once we get there?"

"Oh Derek," Stiles chuckled, reaching out with one hand and taking Derek's, looping their fingers together and squeezing softly as he drove, his eyes flashing black, just barely, just quickly, as his face formed an even wider grin than before

"I _know_ that I will,"

And Derek very much trusted that to be true

**Author's Note:**

> The riddles used (besides the ones from Teen Wolf) are from Yu-Gi-Oh Season Zero, and this interesting little fic https://archiveofourown.org/works/11608677/chapters/26148795 I found featuring serial killer!Yugi


End file.
